A Heart's Obsession: Journey to The Heart Book 2 By Colleen Coble

I received this book from Litfuse Publicity for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. All opinions expressed here are my own.



Book Description:  

 

Will Sarah’s journey west lead her back into the arms of the one man she can trust?

When her father succumbs to a long illness, Sarah Montgomery is freed from duty to family. At last she can be with the love of her life, Rand Campbell, who has gone out west to Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Sarah and her younger brother Joel make the arduous journey filled with hope.
But at Fort Laramie, the reception Sarah meets isn’t what she had hoped for. Her friend Amelia is thrilled to have her, but Rand seems to be in the clutches of Jessica DuBois, the scheming daughter of the post commander.
Sarah resolves to remain at Fort Laramie and try to win Rand back. But things will get tougher before they get easier . . . especially when her ex-fiancé Ben Croftner arrives in Wyoming, obsessed with having her back in his arms.


My Thoughts:  


A Heart's Obsession is the second installment of Colleen Coble's novella series Journey to The Heart. This book picks up where book one left off with Rand Campbell heading to Fort Laramie and Sarah choosing to stay to take care of her father and her younger brother Joel. When her father passes Sarah packs up herself and Joel to make their way to Fort Laramie to be with Rand and her best friend Amelia. Rand is not excited to see here but Amelia is excited to have her there. Sarah decides to stay there and make a go of it, try to get back together with Rand but then Ben Croftner, her ex fiance shows up and is obsessed with having her.

A Heart's Obsession is a great novella. As a huge fan of Christian Historical Fiction I have enjoyed these books. I am not one to read novellas but this one really caught my interest.  It moved at a good pace and kept me interested from start to finish. I found it hard to put down and it definitely kept me guessing until the end. Colleen Coble writes with authority about the United States during Post Civil War time, military, and travel during this time.  I really felt like I was there watching everything unfold the way Colleen Coble described people and places. I enjoyed all of the characters in this story, they are real people with real life issues. I recommend reading these books from book one to keep up with the flow and details. I will say that Colleen Coble does a great job recapping in book two about the events in book one. I highly recommend this novella to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Fiction, you will not be disappointed. I am excited to move on to Book Three! I give this book 4 STARS.

A Sparrow in Terezin: Hidden Masterpiece Series Book 2 By Kristy Cambron

 I received this book from Litfuse Publicity for no charge in exchange for my honest review of this book. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Book Description:  


Bound together across time, two women will discover a powerful connection through one survivor's story of hope in the darkest days of a war-torn world.
Present Day—With the grand opening of her new art gallery and a fairytale wedding just around the corner, Sera James feels she's stumbled into a charmed life—until a brutal legal battle against fiancé William Hanover threatens to destroy the perfectly planned future she’s planned before it even begins. Now, after an eleventh-hour wedding ceremony and a callous arrest, William faces a decade in prison for a crime he never committed, and Sera must battle the scathing accusations that threaten her family and any hope for a future.
1942—Kája Makovsky narrowly escaped occupied Prague in 1939, and was forced to leave her half-Jewish family behind. Now a reporter for the Daily Telegraph in England, Kája discovers the terror has followed her across the Channel in the shadowy form of the London Blitz. When she learns Jews are being exterminated by the thousands on the continent, Kája has no choice but to return to her mother city, risking her life to smuggle her family to freedom and peace.
Connecting across a century through one little girl, a Holocaust survivor with a foot in each world, these two women will discover a kinship that springs even in the darkest of times. In this tale of hope and survival, Sera and Kája must cling to the faith that sustains and fight to protect all they hold dear—even if it means placing their own futures on the line.

My Thoughts: 

A Sparrow in Terezin is Kristy Cambron's second book in her Hidden Masterpiece series and it is a beautiful, beautiful story. I had the privilege to read her first book The Butterfly and the Violin when it came out and that book is still with me, such a fantastic story. As a fan of Historical Fiction I was excited to read Kristy Cambron's books. I have learned so much about World War II and the crimes committed against people just because they were different. A Sparrow in Terezin is no different. I was not aware of this concentration camp so reading this book opened my eyes to more about World War II and the many, many countries it affected. In this book, Kristy Cambron gives us a glimpse into two worlds, the past and the present, finding the perfect balance to tell two stories that intertwined so beautifully.  In the present, it picks up where The Butterfly and The Violin left off with Sera and William getting married and tuning their two worlds into one. In the past Kaja Makovsky, a reporter who leaves Prague and her half Jewish family to go to England to escape the occupied Prague. Kaja is faced with the reality that even though she left Prague, the terror she left behind has followed her so she finds herself making her way back to Prague to try to smuggle out her family to somewhere safe.  As both Kaja and Sera fight  to do what is best for their survival and the survival of their families, they find themselves relying on their faith to help them through.  

I could NOT put this book down, just as it was with Kristy Cambron's first book The Butterfly and The Violin. I was hooked from the first page until the last.  Kristy Cambron writes with authority about art, World War II, The World during World War II and now.  I learned so much about our world's history again in Kristy's books.  A Sparrow in Terezin is a fantastic book that really grabs a hold of you and keeps you guessing until the end. Kristy Cambron writes with a perfect balance of past and present to make one cohesive book and that tells two stories and  intertwines them seamlessly. This book left me breathless. So much to learn and digest. Another story that has had a lasting impression on me. Kristy Cambron is one of my top 10 authors to read and I look forward to reading much more from this fantastic author. I HIGHLY recommend this book and this series to anyone who enjoys Christian Historical Fiction, you will NOT be disappointed.  I recommend that you start with The Butterfly and the Violin though, to get the full understanding of the story. I give this book 5 STARS!!


Bound together across time, two women will discover a powerful connection in Kristy Cambron's new book, A Sparrow in Terezin. Connecting across a century through one little girl, a Holocaust survivor with a foot in each world, two women will discover a kinship that springs even in the darkest of times. In this tale of hope and survival, Sera and Kája must cling to the faith that sustains and fight to protect all they hold dear—even if it means placing their own futures on the line.

Kristy is celebrating by giving away a basket filled with goodies inspired by her new book!

 

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A set of poppy notecards
• A poppy pin
• A copy of I Never Saw Another Butterfly
• A copy of the Mrs. Miniver DVD
• Literary tea bags
• Tumbler
• A copy of A Sparrow in Terezin

 

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 28th. Winner will be announced April 29th on Kristy's blog.



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